Coffin-fastener



T. A. LOTTRIDGE & J. V...EINSFIELD.

OOFFIN FASTENER.

No. 333,311. Patented May 22', 1333.

UNITED rnrns THOMAS A. LOTTRIDGE, OF ROCHESTER, AND JOHN V. EINSFIELD, OF ONEIDA, ASSIGNORS TO CHAPPELL, CHASE, MAXYVELL 8E (10., OF

ON ElDA, NE\V YORK.

COFFEN=FASTENER.

.SP'ECIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,311, dated May 22, 1888,

Application filed January 23, 1888. Serial No. 261,631.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

'Be it known that we, THOMAS ARTHUR LOTTRIDGE, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, and JOHN V. EINSFIELD, of Oneida, in the county of Madison, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gasket-Lid Fasteners, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, isafull, clear,and exact description.

This invention consists in anovel construction of a casket-lid fastener composed of a fixed plate provided with a slot, a latch arranged movably to and from a position across the slot of said plate, and a catch adapted to slide in said slot lengthwise thereof and engage and release the latch automatically with the movement of the catch into and out of the slot, all as hereinafter more fully described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the two members of the fastener which are connected, respectively, to the body of the casket and to the lid of the casket. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section showing the fastener in its interlocked posi tion. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the slotted plate and latch connected therewith. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of a modifica tion of said latch, and Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section of that portion of the casket which is provided with the device for preventing the lid from moving endwise on the casketloody after the aforesaid latch is engaged.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

A represents the portion of the side wall of the casket-body to which the lid-fastener is to be applied, and 0 represents the corresponding portion of the lid. In the top edge of the body A is countersunk an elongated metallic plate, a, which is provided with a longitudinal slot, 6, which is preferably extended through one end of said plate and made flaring, as

shown at Z), to form an easy entrance for the catch, hereinafter described.

0 denotes a latch which is arranged movably to and from a position across the slot 1), and preferably pivoted to the under side of the (N0 model.)

plate and provided with two or more arms, U

c 0, adapted to swing successive] y across the aforesaid slot. \Vhen it is provided with only two arms, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, a spring, e, is to be connected to the plate a and arranged to bear on the latch, so as to hold it in position to invariably lie with one of its arms across the slot'b of the plate. For simplicity and cheapness of construction, however, we prefer to form the latch c in the shape of a star-wheel, as represented in Fig. at of the drawings, said wheel having a sufficient number of arms, 0' c, to invariably present one of the arms across the slot I). Two of such plates a are to be applied to each side wall of the body, and to the under side of the lid 0, at corresponding positions, we firmly attach suitable catches, (1, preferably of the form of staples, standing lengthwise the lid and in proper position to allow them to enter the slots 1) of the plates a endwise thereof by placing the lid upon the casketbody and sliding said lid endwise into its requisite closed position on the body. In this movement the front part of the staple d strikes the arm 0 of the latch c, lying across the slot I), and by said collision the latch is turned and caused to swing the succeeding arm 0 thereof through the staple and across the slot 1), and thus the lid is prevented from being lifted from the casket-body. Any suitable and well-known fastening device-such as a bolt or screw, f-may be applied to the end portions of the body A and lid 0, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, for the purpose of preventing the lid from moving back endwise after the staples d are interlocked with the latches 0 under the plates a a.

In order to cause the described lid-fastener to draw the lid down onto the body-A during the engagement of the staple d with thelatch c, we incline the crossbar d of the staple (I, so as to bring the heel of the staple closer to the lid, as shown.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A casketlid fastener composed of aflxed plate provided with a slot,- a latch arranged movably to and from a position across the slot of said plate, a catch adapted to slide in the said slot lengthwise thereof and engage and release the latch automatically with the movement of the catch into and out of the slot, and a bolt or other suitable fastening device for preventing the longitudinal movement of the lid after the engagement of the aforesaid latch and staple, as set forth.

2. A casket-lid fastener consisting of a fixed elongated plate provided with a longitudinal slot, a latch pivoted to said plate and provided with a plurality of arms adapted to swing successively across the slot of the plate, a staple adapted to slide lengthwise in the slot and turn the latch and thereby throw one of the arms thereof through the staple, and a bolt or other suitable fastening device for pre' venting the longitudinal movement of the lid after the engagement of the aforesaid latch 20 and staple, as described and shown.

3. In combination with the slotted plate a and latch c, pivoted thereto, the staple d, adapted to slide in the slot of said plate lengthwise thereof, and having its cross-bar d in 25 elined, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

THOMAS A. LOTTRIDGE. JOHN V. EINSFIELD.

\Vitnesses for Thos. A. Lottridge:

ALBERT L. GUERET, JOHN L. ZEESELD.

Vitnesses for John V. Einsfield:

M. B. Horn, F. G. MILLER. V 

